From extreme to mundane? The changing face of paramedicine in the UK Ambulance Service

Brewis, Joanna and Godfrey, Richard (2019). From extreme to mundane? The changing face of paramedicine in the UK Ambulance Service. In: Wankhade, Paresh; McCann, Leo and Murphy, Peter eds. Critical Perspectives on the Management and Organization of Emergency Services, Volume London. Routledge, pp. 179–199.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315104447

Abstract

This chapter considers the literature on paramedicine as an occupation, which is dominated by its representation as a form of ‘extreme work’ entailing, for instance, significant personal risk, vicarious trauma and an impossible-to-predict workload. But we know very little about the demands these changes pose for paramedics. As well as mapping the limited available evidence, our conclusion outlines contributions that management and organisation studies academics could make in this regard. Specifically we identify research avenues on workplace emotions, occupational stress and dirty work.